Recent reforms in educational testing have brought many changes in approaches to accessibility and accommodations. These new approaches provide an opportunity for students who may not have received accommodations in the past to now benefit from needed accessibility features that are built into the testing platform. This Brief presents information…

States and other educational entities receiving Part B funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) submitted their Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and Section 618 Table 6 data together to the U.S. Secretary of Education on or before February 1, 2009. These reports may have been modified during the following few months,…

This report presents factors to consider in the design of computer-based testing for all students, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. It also provides a process for the initial transformation of paper/pencil assessments to inclusive computer-based testing. Steps include: (1) assemble a group of…

State assessment systems must address both technical and policy issues as assessments and accountability practices are developed and implemented. These technical and policy issues have been expanded from traditional large-scale assessment to new alternative assessment approaches required by law and developed in every state. The primary purpose of…

This report discusses outcomes of a study of assessment directors and transition specialists from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on exit documents available to and graduation requirements for students with and without disabilities. Results indicate: (1) approximately 80 percent of the states have alternative exit documents for…

Alternate assessments provide a mechanism for students with complex disabilities to be included in assessment systems. An integral part of maximizing the benefits of assessing students is to include the results of alternate assessments in school accountability systems. This report addresses policy options for including the results of alternate…

This paper discusses students with disabilities who do not fit into large-scale traditional assessment systems, seeks to clarify what is meant by "gray areas of assessment," delineates the primary issues that surround and contribute to gray areas, and provides suggestions for developing fully inclusive systems. It provides brief case studies of…

This report reviews the historical development of out-of-level testing, from its inception in Title I evaluation work during the 1960s, to the present day when the widespread use of assessments or district and school accountability has been combined with requirements for including all students in assessments. This report examines the historical…

This report argues that educators need to take a more global approach to addressing educational assessment issues, a universal design approach in which increased access for all students is considered from the beginning. Principles of universal design in architecture and other areas are listed. These include equitable use, flexibility in use,…

This report describes how assessments are scored and results are reported in the inclusive assessment and accountability systems in Maryland and Kentucky. Specific topics include: (1) how school performance is reported to the public; (2) what components go into the reported performance of schools; (3) how scores are obtained for students in the…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated state appeals processes for students with disabilities who fail state-mandated graduation exams. State Web sites were studied to determine the extent to which there are other options for demonstrating skills, to check the availability of these to students with disabilities, and to…

This report updates and summarizes what is known from research on the effects of test accommodations for students with disabilities and also provides direction to the design of critically needed future research on accommodations. A review was conducted of 46 empirical research studies on accommodations published from 1999 through 2001. The…

This report describes and compares the inclusive assessment and accountability systems of Maryland and Kentucky, with a focus on components, scoring methods, reporting practices, data use, participation of students with disabilities, testing accommodations, and implementation considerations (including cost and training issues). Maryland and…

This report summarizes 48 states' current policies on the participation of students with disabilities in large-scale assessments and the accommodations noted in state policies as available for those students. In developing the summary, changes in state assessment policies were also checked. Charts in the report provide information on presentation…

The results of a survey of 14 Minnesota school districts on the participation of students with disabilities in the Basic Standards Exams are examined in this report. Findings indicate that all 14 districts had at least 50 percent of all eligible students with disabilities participate in the April 1996 testing cycle. Ten districts indicated they…